Everybody is Essential
Like all of you, during the years of the pandemic, I’ve had a new phrase introduced into my vocabulary: “essential worker.” We’ve always known certain professions are “essential”: first responders, doctors and nurses, and firefighters, to name a few. But it has moved us to see a broader definition of that term since Covid-19.
Grocery store employees, postal workers, childcare providers--these people, and many more, are being recognized for what they always have been: individuals without whom our society cannot function.
But I’ve wondered: Why didn’t we value these jobs before the pandemic? One reason might be that these jobs aren’t always high-paying. Another reason might be that these jobs can be invisible. These are not the values our society typically associates with success or essentiality. We prefer to measure success with outcomes. In sports we focus on baskets scored. In business we focus on profit.
But in crisis, these metrics aren’t as effective. Instead, we see that society is upheld by more than profits. It’s upheld by real people who show up again and again. This is what it means to be essential.
The Superpower Connection
Helping people see themselves clearly--what makes them valuable--is my passion. Often, we have blindspots when it comes to seeing ourselves. These blindspots, I’ve learned, are usually the sites of our superpowers. These are the inimitable and energizing qualities we all have, though we sometimes miss them because they’re so core to our being.
But, importantly, and to my point, superpowers aren’t synonymous with abilities that can be developed over time. Your superpower is innate. And so is everyone else’s. When we internalize this truth, having a superpower focus can shift our value system.
By seeing each other through a superpower lens, we refocus our vision and see people for their intrinsic worth and self-evident value. That is, superpowers help us to see that everyone is essential in their own way.
Instead of wondering if they add value, what if we begin by assuming that this person on our team, in our paths, is valuable with distinct superpowers. Let’s discover discover what that might be. Let’s discover their awesomeness and specialness. And in moments, share that sense of belief in them. Imagine how much potential we can unleash, how much better we can be if we took this stance with each other?
Imagine how much deeper we can infuse a sense of belonging if we did so?
The Takeaway
A superpowers framework helps us to see that achievement are not the only way to measure value. Everyone has a superpower, and, therefore, everyone is essential. It starts with us seeing each other.
The Impact of Seeing and the Power of a Moment
The following story from Retired 3 Star General Nadja West illustrates the idea of seeing and valuing each other beautifully. I had the joy of interviewing Dr. West, one of the most compassionate and pioneering leaders, for our Duke Life of Significance Podcast Series. Here is an edited excerpt from that interview.
“A life of significance is influencing those around you, even if it’s one person. But being who you are and using the gifts you were given are significant. And we all have gifts. Something as simple as smiling at someone you pass on the street. That may seem insignificant, but that one interaction, that one human to human interface, may speak volumes and may actually change someone’s life. That sounds dramatic, but it’s true.
Here’s an example: I was a colonel at Fort Eustis, Virginia. I was stationed there from 2003-2005. Around 2003, there was a Martin Luther King Day celebration—we had a program. My sergeant major, who was a senior enlisted advisor, and I were at the event. And—for context—Fort Eustis is in the Tidewater area of Virginia. It’s a small installation. There were about eight colonels on the entire post, and I was one of them.
As we were leaving the program, there were two soldiers, private, first class (PFC). PFCs are one rank above private. (So, they were very junior.) When we passed them, I just made a brief comment, “That was a great program, wasn’t it?” And then I kept walking.
But then they started giggling. So, I was looking at my uniform, looking around. I asked my sergeant major, “What’s wrong?” He walks over to them to ask why they’re laughing. Then he says, “Ma’am, they want your autograph.” I asked if he was kidding. When he said they weren’t, I asked them why. Then one of them said, “You’re the first colonel who has ever spoken to us.”
I said, “What do you mean I’m the first colonel who’s spoken to you? Don’t you see colonels often?” He said they see colonels, and that they speak to their sergeants, and maybe speak to a lieutenant, the captain. But they had never had a colonel speak to them—much less have someone say something nice. Then I told them that it wasn’t a big deal, and that I wasn’t much different from them—just older. I said that they could do what I did if they wanted to. That was 2003.
Fast forward to 2010. I was a one star general, and I was in Germany. We have this Armed Forces Network (AFN), which broadcasts public service announcements. So, I did a health one about not missing your doctor’s appointments. This was broadcast in Afghanistan.
A few days later, I got a call from someone named Lieutenant Wright. First Lieutenant Wright. And she said, “Ma’am, I saw you on AFN. You may not remember me, but I was at Fort Eustis, and you spoke to me. I don’t know if you remember. You probably don’t remember.”
I said, “I do remember you and your giggly friend.”
And she said, “Well, ma’am, when you spoke to me and told me that I could do what you did, it inspired me.”
So, she was a PFC. Then she made it to sergeant, went to prep school at West Point, graduated from West Point as a military intelligence officer, and was then First Lieutenant in Afghanistan with an MI—military intelligence—unit. She told me that if I hadn’t spoken to her that day, she wouldn’t have thought she’d be able to do anything else. She came from a single-parent home. She went to high school but didn’t think she would ever do anything else. And now she’s a captain.
Long story short: What if I hadn’t spoken to her? It gives me goose bumps to think that a single comment motivated her to do something different, that it changed her trajectory.
But the other thing that chills me is how many people I have passed by and didn’t say something to. You very rarely see the follow up of one comment. And I never saw her after that.
I get kind of choked up because you don't know who you can inspire. So, to answer your original question, when you talk about a life of significance, you don't have to do a whole lot. Something impactful can require minimal effort. And then it’s just watching the ripple effect.”
To read the rest of the interview or listen to the podcast, visit Duke Life of Significance Series.
What’s Next?
Thank you for reading this issue of Leadership Playbook: Unleashing Your Superpowers! The next issue - out March 16 - continues the belonging narrative of superpowers.
Paid subscribers will receive an additional issue each month that features a superpowers interview. The first interview on March 9, is with Alison Levine (Team Captain of the first American Women's Everest Expedition). Alison is one of the most fearless, inspiring team-oriented leaders you’ll ever meet. She has climbed Mt. Everest twice, scaled the "Seven Summits," and skied to the North and South Poles. Paid subscribers will also receive chapters from my audiobook of The Launch Book: Motivational Stories to Launch Your New Idea, Business, and Next Career.
Got a leadership, career, or superpowers question? Let me know via comments or email and I hope to answer them in a future issue.
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